San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1887-11-03
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 1887.
The Texas Horse Market.-.-Superior
Quality OF the Stock.

We met last week Prof. Saunders,
of Wimberley, and learned from him
that he had been engaged during the
present season in buying horses and
shipping them to the older states,
principally North. He had made
some half or more trips, and
said he had found the business rea-
sonably remunerative, He gave us
some new ideas of the extent OF this
business, stating that $4,000 horses
hadshipped last year from San Antonio
alone, and that he had no doubt that
at least $4,000 had been shipped this
wear. He further stated that the
supply has been pretty well exhaust
ed. That few droves could be found
out west that had not been been
picked over, though supplies were
still coming in from Mexico. The
consequence is that the price OF
horses is likely to be good for some
time. He mentioned the fact that
Texas horses are now quite COM
mon at the North.
He said the horse market had
been of very decided benefit to oul
people at the present crisis. 1t is te
be hoped now that there may be
run on cattle.
We found that the Professor un
derstood the superiority OF the Tex
as stock of horses, but as all OF ON
readers may not be SO we'll posted
we copy the following on that sub
iect from recent pamphlet OF
Southwestern Texas from the pen O.
DR.. w. G. Kingsbury. IL seems t.
be well-founded, and will be fount
interesting:
Horse raising is the favorite am
most profitable industry OF the conn
ty, and the day will come when tn
finest and fastest trotting and racln!
stock in the United States will b.
raised in this mountain region o
Western Texas. They have tn
most wonderful lung power OF an
horses, perhaps, in the world, no
excepting Kyrat, the famed son 0
the mysterious horse of the Oxu.
A good one can carry man OF mod
crate weight, at half speed, longe
than he can hold out to sit upo
him. I once rode one eighty mile
in thirteen hours, and the horse wa
still free to go though I was exhaust
ed. They are free from all diseases
even the epizootic did not sprea
among the range horses whenit pass
ed over this country in 1873. III
heayes is an unknown disease her
and I have never seen a case OF glar
ders, ,windgalls, ringbone or spawn o
Texas horses. Their boots are wei
formed and nearly as tough as irol
Horses here go thro' the winter ver
we'll on the natural grass, but the
attain a larger size if the colts nl
fed the first winter. The origin
stock of these horses were the mu
tangs, or wild horses, found here
countless numbers upon the first sc
Element of the country by American
I think I have seen as many as 5Ot
at a time. These mustangs were IL
descendants of the renowned And
horse brought here by I'll
Spaniards in their early raids throue
this country. We have been cont
ually breeding them up until now
is an easy matter to tuy mares {
the range that will stand from fou
teen to fifteen hands high that b
never eaten a grain of corn and oa
in their lives. There gre occasion
ones that stand over sixteen han'
high, but the great majority W
range from thirteen and a half
fourteen hands, but they are beir
constantly improved. They,
course. still retain q certain amou
of their ancestral blood, greatly
their advantage. and the fine cfmal
nutritious grasses and billy rocI
nature Of the range gives them got
health. excellent wind, clean lit
J, limbs, solid hoofs, great symmetry
of body, large bright eyes, a broa
fat forehead, and flowing mains al
tails. They are beautiful anima
and. when properly broken, are
gentle and affectionste as lambs, 4
lowing their master or coming at
call. The cost of breeding horses
mules to four years old in this cou
try. when the owner is properly IKE
would not exceed S5 per bead, a
must ever be q profitable and pie
> ant employment
Tba nav silver vault Of the Ire.